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Phrasebook · Hungary

Hungarian for your trip

35 words and phrases that get you through a day in Hungary.

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How it sounds

The syllable in capitals is the one to stress.

s and sz
s is sh, sz is s: Budapest is BOO-daw-pesht
cs
the ch in church
gy and ny
the d-y in "did you", and the ny in canyon
a and á
a is a short "aw", á a long "ah"
ö and ü
ö like the u in fur, lips rounded; ü like ee, lips rounded
stress
always on the first syllable of a word

Essentials

35 phrases

Basics

Food and drink

Getting around

Money

Help

Only in Hungary

Help

Emergency numbers

Eating out

20 phrases

Menu decoder

What you'll hear back

Diet cards

Getting around

27 phrases

Taxis and tickets

Signs you'll see

  • KEE-yah-rawtExit
  • BE-yah-rawtEntrance
  • NYEET-vawOpen
  • ZAHR-vawClosed
  • MOSH-dohToilets
  • FAYR-feeMen
  • nööWomen
  • TOL-neePush
  • HOOZ-neePull
  • TEE-losh aw BE-lay-payshNo entry

Time and opening hours

Shopping

14 phrases

Numbers and prices

Prices run into thousands of forints: ezer (E-zer) is 1,000, so ötezer forint (ÖT-e-zer FO-reent) is 5,000 Ft.

Outdoors

8 phrases

On the trail

Culture

4 phrases

No word for it in English

Festival words

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Greet shop staff with jó napot; older people may say jó napot kívánok.
  • Take your shoes off in someone's home unless they tell you not to.
  • Look people in the eye when you toast.

Don't

  • Don't clink beer glasses: older Hungarians may mind, a custom linked to 1849. Wine and pálinka are fine.
  • Don't leave a tip on the table: say the total you want to pay as you hand over the money.
On the map

Heard at our spots

The words you'll use at the places we filmed. Pick a place to see it on the map.

PákozdHegy MountainVíz WaterKöszönöm Thank youBalancing StonesSee it on the mapSukoróStrand BeachVíz WaterKöszönöm Thank youSukoró Public BeachSee it on the mapBudapestKávé CoffeeFotó PhotoKöszönöm Thank youCoffee Cup Mini StatueSee it on the mapBudapestKutya DogFotó PhotoKöszönöm Thank youElla the CorgiSee it on the mapGödSziget IslandVíz WaterSzia HiGöd Sand IslandSee it on the mapVisegrádJátszótér PlaygroundFotó PhotoKöszönöm Thank youMogyoróhegy PlaygroundSee it on the mapBudapestOroszlán LionFotó PhotoKöszönöm Thank youLeo and FredSee it on the map
Take it with youJust the words, in two columns. Print it, or save it as a PDF for when there's no signal.

Where the words come fromPhrases and pronunciation adapted from Wikivoyage's Hungarian phrasebook and Wiktionary, under CC BY-SA 4.0.